One-shot challenge: Confusion
by xXxBlueFlamexXx
Summary: A challenge given to me on the forum Dawn of These Clans


"Oh star clan! Let me find Tigersplash!" Stormstrike cringed internally. Of course, the one cat who she had been avoiding had to be the one that found her laying broken on the pebbles near the river, blood oozing out of the wound ripped down her stomach.

Just before the gray tom -Hollowsong- could rush off to find the clan's medicine cat. Stromstrike called out to him, making Hollowsong freeze where he was. "Why?" That was it. The one simple word that she had spat out as she lay there watching him under half lidded eyes.

The tom rounded on her. "What…?" He managed to choke out, his green eyes wide with alarm. _Well, there's no going back now._

"You heard me, why?" Stormstrike's voice shook with pain, though emotional or physical she couldn't tell. All the silver she-cat could think about, all that she _knew_ was that this was the tom she had loved, this was the tom that had broken her heart, this was the tom she hated. "Ever since you became 'friends' with Dapplefeather, you stopped caring, so why have you suddenly decided that you care again?" She hissed out, blood bubbling at the corners of her lips as she spoke. Before Hollowsong could answer, Stormstrike let out a broken laugh. "Oh, I get it, since I'm dying you get to play the hero and get everyone to love you!" She sneered mentally applauding herself when the gray tom's eyes darkened.

"And what gives you the right to say that?" Hollowsong hissed as he stared down at the wound that ran down the length of Stormstrike's stomach. "Who did this to you? I'll run them down myself." Growled suddenly, unsheathing his claws as the silver she-cat shook her head violently.

"I have every right." She snarled up at him, ignoring his question, blood running down her neck and chin as she spoke. "You left me! For my best friend!" Stormstrike accused, her voice rising to a wail as Hollowsong's ears flattened against his head, guilt flashing in his eyes. Encouraged by his response to her accusation, the silver she cat continued. "I trusted you! And I trusted her! You betrayed me!" The she-cat yowled, flinging her head back in the act as her body lay broken and bleeding on the pebbles. _I don't have much longer._ The she-cat realized as she felt her vision dimming, and Hollowflight seemed to realize it too.

"Wait here, I'm going to find Tigersplash." He tried to sound firm, but his voice was trembling, not that Stormstrike cared at all.

 _Ah, it's back to that again._ A tiny voice in the back of her head hissed as she let out a low growl. "I told you already, it's not going to help me." Stormstrike repeated, the pain in her chest was getting worse, it was getting hard to breathe. "At least stay with me. Even if you did betray me, it's better than dying alone." She choked out, watching Hollowsong's eyes glazed over with grief as he dipped his head to her in acknowledgement of her request.

They sat like that for a short moment, before Stormstrike's breaths became more labored as she stared up into the sky with pain glazed eyes, Hollowsong's body wrapped around her's as he whispered reassuring words to her, trying to at least grant the she-cat some security from what she was facing.

"You wanted to know what gave me the right to accuse you, right?" The she-cat croaked, turning her blue eyes onto the gray tom's face as she struggled to speak.

"Hush, save your breath." Hollowsong murmured, trying to coax the she-cat back into silence, but Stormstrike would take none of it.

"I have every right." She went on, determination sparking in her dying eyes. "Because I loved you, and you said you loved me." The silver she-cat went on, ignoring the small startled noise Hollowsong made. "Then you left me, you only thought of me as a sister right? You left me for Dapplefeather." She got out the words after a few labored breathes as Hollowsong watched on in silence, his green eyes filled with grief and something else Stormstrike couldn't understand.

"I'm sorry." Now it was Hollowsong who was choking on his words as he tried to speak, and in that moment, all that Stormstrike could tell was that Hollowsong was telling the truth, that she had wasted moons hating him, only to feel happiness burst in her chest at his apology.

Letting out a choked sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob, the she-cat turned and looked at him, her blue eyes filled with pain. "Ah, I think my time's up." She whispered as her whole body was wracked with spasms.

"I meant it back then, when we were kits. I do love you." Those where the last words that Stormstrike heard. Everything clicked and Stormstrike realized what the other emotion hiding in the sea of green was. It was longing. _For me? But what about Dapplefeather?_ Stormstrike wondered as her eyes glazed over and her conscious gave away.

Others had always said that when you die, a calmness washes over you to where you can't feel anything else, but that wasn't the case for her.

Because in the end, she couldn't help but feel confused.


End file.
